Burning Patience
North American Premiere

Burning Patience

| Germany | 76 MINUTES | Spanish
Drama, Comedy
There is only one postman in Isla Negra, and his simple life takes a quixotic turn when Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet and diplomat, moves to the remote town. Old and exiled, the great poet's only frequent visitor is the postman. After several months of delivering the mail and exchanging plaisanteries, the fresh-faced postman begs the reclusive poet to write a poem that will seduce island temptress Beatriz. Neruda reluctantly agrees, and so begins a lifelong friendship worthy of Cervantes. "In Chile, everyone is a poet," Neruda remarks. "It is much more original to be a postman." After watching Ardiente Paciencia (Burning Patience) and experiencing the postman's naïve eloquence, one is inclined to agree. While poetry and love are clearly the film's focal points, Chile's troubled history also figures into the story. The assassination of President Salvador Allende and the imposition of General Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship eventually take a toll on Neruda's health, in real life and in the movie. Chilean writer/director Antonio Skármeta is himself no stranger to political isolation. During the Pinochet regime, Skármeta was exiled to Germany. There he wrote the novella El Cartero de Neruda, on which his own film Ardiente Paciencia and the Academy Award®-winning film Il Postino (1994) were both based. Given the runaway success of the latter, it would be easy to call Ardiente Paciencia a poor-man's Il Postino, but that would hardly do Skármeta's film justice. Unlike its later Italian remake, this version-originally shot on 16 mm-of Skármeta's own novella brings a color and authenticity to the screen that Il Postino never quite achieved.

Cast & Credits
Directed by
Antonio Skármeta
Born in Chile in 1940, Antonio Skármeta has led a multi-faceted life as a novelist, TV personality, ambassador, professor, and director. He studied philosophy and literature at Universidad de Chile before receiving his M.F.A. from Columbia University. In between writing books, Skármeta created a Chilean television show called El Show de los Libros, and from 2000-2003 he served as Chilean ambassador to Germany, where he was awarded the official Goethe Medal for his dedication to culture. He wrote and directed Ardiente Paciencia, which received the Colón de Oron, the Makhila de Oro, and the Georges Sadoul award for the best film to premiere in France. Skármeta has also taught screenwriting at the German Academy of Film and Television and has served as a juror for the Berlin and Venice International Film Festivals. He will also serve as a juror for TFF this year.
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
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The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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